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Further Support for Multidimensionality Within the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

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Abstract

Although the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale is one of the most widely used measures of global self esteem, the underlying measurement structure of the items is still debated. In this study the dimensionality of a six item version of the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale included in the National Population Health Survey of Canada was examined using nested confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicate that the six items measure two correlated dimensions of global self esteem. The first dimension appears to represent a measure of self competence, and the second is interpreted as a measure of self liking. Subsequent tests of predictive power and discriminant validity supported the two dimension interpretation. The two dimensions had substantially different relationships with theoretically related measures of anxiety, negative affect and happiness. In addition to these different correlations, latent variable regressions indicated that the self-competency factor consistently suppressed irrelevant variance in the self liking factor when predicting anxiety, negative affect and happiness.

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Richardson was supported by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Dr. Ratner was supported by a Senior Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Access to the National Population Health Survey data was obtained through the Research Data Centre maintained by Statistics Canada at the University of British Columbia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 5804 Fairview Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Chris G. Richardson

  2. School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Pamela A. Ratner

  3. Educational and Counselling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Bruno D. Zumbo

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  1. Chris G. Richardson
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  2. Pamela A. Ratner
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  3. Bruno D. Zumbo
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Correspondence to Chris G. Richardson.

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Richardson, C.G., Ratner, P.A. & Zumbo, B.D. Further Support for Multidimensionality Within the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Curr Psychol 28, 98–114 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-009-9052-3

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